Suspect in Amanda Warf killing waives hearing

BRENTWOOD — The Epping man accused of killing his ex-wife, Amanda “Amy” Warf, has waived his right to a probable cause hearing, sending his case to a grand jury.

Aaron Desjardins was slated to appear in circuit court in Brentwood at 10 a.m. today, but he waived the hearing earlier this week, according to a court clerk.

The 36-year-old is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with Warf's death. Desjardins will now remain held without bail as he awaits a grand jury indictment.

Desjardins is accused of killing Warf sometime earlier this month by slitting her throat and severing an artery. Firefighters found her body inside an abandoned concrete plant on Hampton Road in Exeter on Thursday morning, March 7, after the building caught fire.

In the days that followed, Desjardins repeatedly told reporters he was innocent of the crime. Meanwhile, homicide investigators were scouring his property. He was then arrested on Tuesday, March 12.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell has declined to comment on the manner in which police believe Desjardins killed his former spouse, who is also the mother of his 11-month-old child. Morrell said Warf's wounds were horizontal and “deep into the tissue.”

Family court records in Brentwood indicate Warf and Desjardins were married for about seven years before separating in 2011. They shared the home on Railroad Avenue that Desjardins now owns. Their divorce was finalized early last year, and Desjardins remarried around the same time.

Court records indicate Warf and Desjardins were finalizing a parenting agreement for their child at the time of Warf's death.